University chiefs appeal against Ariel academic upgrade

Petition claims that decision to change status of West Bank institute is fraught with problems

Left-wing activists protest a decision by the Council for Higher Education in Judea and Samaria to grant full university status to the Ariel University Center, located in the West Bank. July 17, 2012. Sign reads 'Ariel is not Israel'. (photo credit: Yossi Zeliger/FLASH90)

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Stuart Winer
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.

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University heads are seeking the reversal of a July decision in favor of granting university status to Ariel’s academic institute, filing a petition with the High Court of Justice to that effect Monday.

The Committee of University Heads claimed in its petition that the decision was made in a sub-par fashion. The Council for Higher Education in Judea and Samaria overstepped its authority by ruling on a matter that influences Israeli higher education in its entirety whereas it is tasked with administering institutes in the West Bank alone.

“In the three central considerations for the decision — that is, the academic, the planning, and the budgeting considerations — there were faults that go right to root of the matter,” the petition reads. “Each one alone requires reversing the decision.”

Committee chair and president of Ben-Gurion University Rivka Carmi said the decision to make Ariel Israel’s eighth university was wrong.

“A great mistake has been made,” Carmi told Army Radio on Mondy. “An academic mistake, a mistake of authority and of budgeting. The process was very problematic and bypassed the Planning and Budgeting Committee.”

In response, Ariel University expressed regret at the “cartel of university heads that are trying to undermine the approve academic institutes in Israel.”

Eli Ayalon, a member of the Ariel University Directors’ Council, countered that the decision was made in an appropriate manner and in keeping with government decisions.

The Committee of University Heads named the Council for Higher Education in Judea and Samaria (CHEJS), the IDF commander for the West Bank region, and the ministers for Finance, Education, and Defense in its petition.

Last month the Committee for Higher Education in Israel, under intense pressure for right-wing ministers and politicians, finally voted to recognize Ariel University as a full-fledged university upgrading its status from a college and “university center.” The move had faced strong opposition, in particular from other established Israeli universities, which claimed Israel had no need for yet another university that would only strain academic budgets. In addition, Ariel University faced opposition from left-wing groups due to its location in the West Bank settlement of Ariel.

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